Get ready for Scouting adventure at Camp Three Falls! Located in the Lockwood Valley in northern Ventura County, at the base of Mt. Pinos, Three Falls offers summer camp for Webelos and Boy Scouts, as well as weekend camping for Scouts and other groups throughout the year.
Registration forms and other information are available on the Ventura County Council web site, or call the council at 805-482-8938.

Friday, March 8, 2013

Gary Lee sent this picture from camp today. The latest storm had dropped 8 inches of snow in the Mount Pinos area by late Friday morning. Gary notes that the picture above looks a little fuzzy because the show was still falling.

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

If you talk to the average Scout -- or leader, or parent -- about summer camp, the conversation is invariably going to turn to merit badges.

Most experienced leaders and camp managers will tell you that merit badges are not the only reason for a Scout to go to summer camp, or even the most significant reason. They can be an important part of the program mix, especially if you, as a leader, manage your boys' merit badge work wisely.

First, do not let the boys, their parents, or your fellow leaders become fixated on merit badges as the primary purpose of summer camp.

Summer camp is the best opportunity you have to build a sense of community and comraderie among your Scouts; to get to know them as individuals; to influence their character, values, self-confidence, self-discipline, and self-worth; to develop teamwork and leadership. Merit badges can help with some of those things, but they are just one of the tools at your disposal.

One of the best Scoutmasters we know often points out that he has just 90 minutes a week at troop meetings -- something like 75 hours a year -- to befriend, train, influence, guide, and support his Scouts. At summer camp, he has more than 100 hours -- more time packed into one week than he has all the rest of the year combined.

Don't let that opportunity pass you by while your boys spend all day in merit badge classes.

I've looked at a lot of camp Leader's Guides, both as a Scoutmaster and as a staffer, and nearly every one offers the same recommendation: Scouts should not take more than three or four merit badges at camp. We'd go farther and recommend that boys who are below First Class rank should only take one or two.

Second, help your Scouts set realistic goals and appropriate priorities. A Tenderfoot Scout should be focused on working toward First Class, building a solid base of fundamental skills, before trying to earn a lot of merit badges. And he should be sampling a little of everything camp has to offer, trying new things, and just having fun. That's what will keep them in Scouting and bring them back to camp next year.

Older Scouts should be providing leadership, helping the younger boys with their advancement work, and taking advantage of some of the new experiences that any good camp offers -- climbing, hiking, mountain biking, shooting, COPE -- even if those experiences don't lead to a merit badge.

We see too many boys who by the end of the week are burned out on classes and homework. If they're taking five one-hour merit badges a day all week, how is that different from school? And why would they want to do that again next year?

Third, make sure your Scouts select merit badges and other activities that are appropriately challenging. A younger boy should probably be limited to a handicraft badge or one of the easier nature badges, rather than the more difficult ones. He will enjoy the challenging badges more, and get more out of them, if he waits until he is ready. For example, I used to be a Scoutcraft Director, and in my opinion, none of the Scoutcraft badges are really suitable for first-year campers because first-year scouts generally don't have the basic skills -- knots and lashings for Pioneering, map and compass fundamentals for Orienteering, and so on. If you know a boy is a poor swimmer, don't set him up for a frustrating week by letting him take Swimming Merit Badge.

On the flip side, there's little value for your older Scouts in earning a lot of easy, non-Eagle-required merit badges just for the sake of numbers. Encourage them to try something more challenging instead -- maybe BSA Lifeguard, Mile Swim, an NRA marksmanship award, or our Frontier Survivor program.

Fourth, ecourage them to prepare for the merit badges they intend to take. Make sure they get a copy of the merit badge book and read it before camp. Check prerequisites in the camp Leader's Guide (We are revising on ours now and hope to have the 2013 edition available in the next couple of weeks; meanwhile, most of the information in the 2012 guide is still accurate). But also look at the requirements yourself. Many, if not most, merit badges include reports and other "homework" that your Scouts could do more easily at home before leaving for camp. Many of the nature badges, for example, require writing a report about an animal. How much easier is that going to be at home, where they have access to a computer, the Internet, and their school or public library for research?

Yes, merit badges are important. They're so important that we want to make sure that Scouts to them at the right time, in the right way, so they can get the most out of the experience. We'll do all we can to help, but it starts with you.

Agree, or disagree, we'd love to hear what you think. Use the "Comments" box below.

The Place for Adventure

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How to Get Here

Take Interstate 5 to the Frazier Mountain Park Road exit, just north of Tejon Pass between Gorman and Lebec. Go about 7 miles west, through the communities of Frazier Park and Lake of the Woods, and turn left on Lockwood Valley Road. Go another 8.2 miles and turn right on Boy Scout Camp Road. The camp gate is at the end of the road, about three miles.

2018 Camp Dates

For your long-range planning convenience, here are the dates for Boy Scout and Webelos Summer Camp at Three Falls NEXT year -- 2018.

2018 Dates

Webelos

Session 1 - June 24-June 27

Session 2 - June 27-June 30

Session 3 - July 1-July 4

Boy Scout

Session 1 - July 8-July 14

Session 2 - July 15-July 21

Session 3 - July 22-July 28

LDS Week - July 30-August 4

2018 is our 85th Anniversary year, so we expect a full camp. Get your reservation in early to ensure your choice of dates.

Top 10 Reasons to Go To Camp Three Falls

10. The setting. Located at 5400 feet, Three Falls is on the border between the sagebrush plain of Lockwood Valley and the forested slopes of Mt Pinos, in an area that’s rich in geological and ecological diversity. The area offers awe-inspiring hikes to the Pinnacles, Middle Falls, North Falls, and beyond. With warm days and mild nights, the weather compares favorably to other camps in southern California and even those in the Sierras.

9. It’s close to home. When you get to Gorman on Interstate 5, you’re 2 ½ hours from Whitsett, 3 ½ hours from Chawanakee, but just 30 minutes from Three Falls. “Are we there yet?”

8. It's reasonably priced. Three Falls is priced competitively other with full-service summer camps in southern California and the Sierras, and by taking advantage of early bird discounts or bringing your own tents, you can save even more. Plus, Three Falls is close to home, so you'll also save on transportation costs.

7. Great food. Probably the best of any scout camp in southern California. The Friday barbeque really is the best meal you’ll find at any scout camp, anywhere.

6. Unique features like Fort Lockwood and our 57-foot climbing tower, tallest of any scout camp in southern California. Our lake is as big or bigger than those at other southern California camps, and we also have a pool. A lot of camps have one or the other, but not both.

5. Quality merit badge instruction.We offer about 30 merit badges, with experienced instructors who focus on providing a quality learning experience tailored to the needs of each boy. Scouts go home from Three Falls with not just a badge, but new skills that will last a lifetime.

4. Trail to First Class. Campers and leaders say our Trail to First Class program is one of the best around. We focus on developing basic skills, not just signing off requirements, so your first-year scouts go home with increased self-confidence in the outdoors and filled with enthusiasm for scouting.

3. Webelos Resident Camp. We’re one of the few camps in southern California that offers a summer resident camp program for Webelos Scouts.

2. Small is beautiful. The compact size of the camp means you don’t waste time traveling from one program area to another, and the smaller number of campers means every boy gets more attention from instructors and other staff.

1. The staff. Made up mostly of scouts and adults from Ventura County, our staff is passionate about scouting and committed to giving you the best possible summer camp experience.

Helpful Links

Mission Statement

It is the mission of Camp Three Falls to:

-- Support individual Scouts by working with unit leaders to develop Citizenship, Character, and Fitness through the application of the Eight Methods of Scouting; and by fostering in those Scouts an enthusiasm for Scouting that will lead them to be more active in the program, and remain active in the program through their teen years.

-- Support Troops and Packs by helping unit leaders to provide their Scouts with superior program activities that they might not be able to deliver otherwise; by developing leadership and teamwork; and by helping to build Troop, Pack, Patrol, and Den spirit and group identity.

-- Support the Council by developing enthusiastic Scouts and stronger Troops; and by creating a sense of community by bringing together Scouts from different locations and social groups for shared adventure and learning experiences.

If you want to sign up for summer camp, or are interested in using the camp for weekend programs for your Boy Scout Troop, Cub Scout Pack, or other group, registration forms are available on the Ventura County Council web site, or call the council office at 805-482-8938.

Disclaimer: This blog is maintained by Larry Tuck, a volunteer scout leader in Ventura County, California and Program Director for Camp Three Falls. It is not sanctioned or approved by the Ventura County Council or the Boy Scouts of America. It is intended as a supplement to the official council site, and as a forum for my own opinions about camps and camping.